Chapter 8-Reunions
Disclaimer: I don't own.
He did not look like her father. He was her father.
Molly did not have time for any other observation of the man before her except to identify him as her thought to be dead father before her images flashed through her mind. In a matter of seconds his history for the past twenty-four years passed through her mind in the form of pictures. If she so chose she could go back over the details later. There was no question that Molly was going to be sick.
"You all right?" asked a concerned Gibbs when he saw the young woman before him pale.
Molly managed to give a weak smile and gave out a strangled, "Where's the loo?"
Ducky tutted at her obvious discomfort and tried to lead the way but Molly waved him off choosing to just receive directions. Fortunately she made it to the bathroom before losing her breakfast of cold pizza. She hoped the floor was clean enough as she leaned against the wall and slid down to a sitting position with knees drawn up. She covered her face with her hands as her mind shot off into a million different directions at once. She understood Sherlock's desire for something to calm his mind and wish she had something on hand. That thought had her leaning over the toilet as sickness took her once again. She knew she was taking a long time and worried that someone would come fetch her. She needed to come up with a plan quick. What should she do?
She usually shoved the thoughts that flashed unbidden through her brain as the result of the experiment to the back of her mind. She was a master of compartmentalizing and had learned some mental tricks Sherlock had taught her that he employed in his own 'mind palace'. She did not want to be involved or know about government intrigues. So far the information she did receive was harmless personal secrets about well-known politicians. If she had seen anyone that could be planning on something nefarious her conscience would not allow her to stay silent but she did not go looking for trouble. Trouble seemed to find her well enough anyway.
Despite her not wanting to use the information in the database that had been uploaded and into her mind she decided that in this situation the more she knew the safer she and the people around her would be. If Leroy Jethro Gibbs was in her database it meant that Division was keeping an eye on him and her suspicions were that she was the cause. They would have been keeping an eye on him in case she ever decided to come home. If they came into the picture they would threaten her father and they had already taken her mother from her. They had also tainted any memories that she had left of her mother. All that she could now see was the dark cells of the Division headquarters whenever she recalled her mother. Sherlock had once tried to talk to Molly about her mom but she had just shuddered remembering a broken body and her own broken fingers.
Molly took a few deep breaths as she moved her fingers making sure that she could move them still. It should not have been surprising that Division had lied about her father's death but she had taken the lie at face value. They needed her to believe he was dead to break her spirit and mold her into something they could use. She was frustrated with herself for not realizing the truth but now that she did it was not of any good to either of them. She repeated her husband's old mantra to herself, "alone is what protects me," and after a pause she added, "alone is what protects others." Of course Sherlock had thrown away his old mantra but she had experienced people dying to protect her and she did not want to see that happen to her father or to the people who were on his team.
She closed her eyes and focused on her father's name in her mind. She looked over the information slowly as one would read a book. She learned that her and her mother's deaths were blamed on a drug lord. Division had planted him as a patsy, one that Gibbs had gone after in revenge. It was a good plan on Division's part as Gibbs unwittingly tied up one of their loose ends. Since surviving Desert Storm and the deaths of his family Gibbs joined up with the group that eventually became NCIS. She went over some of the other notes in her mind but stopped when she reached a section on his ex-wives. Aside from her mother Gibbs had been married three times, all of the marriages had ended in divorce though. She felt numb from all the information.
She also focused on what she could see from her own eyes of the man she once knew. He was definitely and understandably older than the he had been when she last saw him. Her last memory was of him going off to war to protect a country that he loved but would betray his trust by abusing his family. Her friend Meena would have labeled Gibbs as a silver fox. His military cut hair was silver but he was fit for a man of his age and he looked comfortable in his polo, blazer, and slacks combination.
She laughed bitterly to herself as she thought about how twice in the past couple of years she ran into people in a morgue that she thought she would never seen again. The first one had been Mary and now Gibbs.
Her two options were to go tell her father and hope that he would believe her or run a paternity test to find out the truth or to keep silent. The first option was terrifying. He was being watched, he had to be, and according to Mary, Division was still up and running. She could not risk losing him again. She would have to follow Mycroft's instructions and keep her head down no matter what.
That brought another question to her mind. What was Mycroft's involvement? Did he know he had sent her into the arms of her father? If he had done so willingly was he trying to get her killed? Division certainly had traced the email holding the encrypted info now lodged in her brain to the computer of Molly Hooper. What would they do if they got Kelly Gibbs and Molly Holmes nee Hooper all in one neat little package? What was his motive? Give him a reason to go to war? Sherlock joked that Mycroft liked to start wars before teatime to give him an appetite. Perhaps, she grimaced to give Mycroft the benefit of a doubt, he did not know. As far as she knew he did not know about her previous identity or the email she had received.
But Mycroft Holmes himself always said that the universe was rarely so lazy. If so who was in charge? Perhaps she should have been going to church as her adopted mother had often recommended. She remembered a conversation she had had with Sherlock the last time she had stepped foot in a church. He had deduced that she did believe in a higher power. She said maybe so but would not follow a God who brought back his son from the dead and not one of her fathers. Now here she was with a dead father come back to life, but not in the way she wanted. She had no time to be happy about the discovery of her dad because what if she ended up being the cause of his death? Wouldn't he be better off with out her?
She made her resolution. She could not tell Gibbs for his own safety. She would do anything to keep him alive even if it meant learning to be a better liar. She was rotten at lying but was good at keeping secrets. As long as no one questioned her directly she would be fine. Who would even think it was possible for her to be Kelly Gibbs? She was not Kelly Gibbs. Kelly was dead in her grave, technically so was Molly Hooper. Long live Molly Holmes undercover as Dinozzo. She would just have to keep reminding herself that. In the meantime she needed to take care of her second resolution, which was to seek an audience with the great and powerful Oz. Mycroft may be the man behind the British government's curtain but she had seen behind it and she would make him talk to her if he wanted her cooperation.
It was not the first time Leroy Jethro Gibbs had run across a woman who looked like his deceased wife but this woman certainly was the closest. Molly's facial features were strikingly similar and she had the brown eyes to match, her hair also bore a similar shade closer to the roots. She did not have the same fashion sense his late wife had had despite the similar resemblance. Molly was wearing a loud sweater with a unicorn on the front and baggy pants. Despite being in her thirties she looked like a child and seemed just as vulnerable. She was around the same age his Kelly would be if she had not been murdered by a drug lord. Gibbs shook the wayward thoughts from his head as he focused on his returned "kid."
Gibbs gave Ziva a warm smile and held out his arms for a hug. He was not one for heaping an overwhelming amount of affection on his agents aside from Abby but he would not withhold it when the situation called for it. Ziva stepped into his arms and hugged him briefly but he was able to whisper a 'welcome home' in her ear before she withdrew.
She smiled sadly but he held up a hand before she spoke stopping her from voicing her thoughts.
"I know you're not here for long but while you're here it's home. I know that you did what you had to do, but to be honest…I'm not quite sure why you're here now." Gibbs fixed Ziva with his penetrating stare that made people squirm since it seemed as if he were staring into their soul.
Ziva, being accustomed to Gibbs looks, had no fear and knew he was looking out for her well being, so she met his look head on. "I have a debt to repay. When this is finished I should be able to move on with my life with no strings attached."
"Are you in some kind of trouble?"
"No, it's just a debt to an old friend," Ziva tried to reassure the skeptical older man.
Gibbs shifted on his feet and gave a small nod. "All right but if you are in some kind of trouble let me know."
This time when he stared at her she could not help but squirm a little but then he was already on to discussing the latest case with Ducky. She smiled as the familiar scene warmed her heart despite the macabre setting.
"You plan on working any cases while you're here?" Gibbs called over his shoulder now that his back was to Ziva.
"Yes, I believe that was the plan," Ziva answered.
Gibbs turned his head to give one of his signature looks. He communicated mostly with looks and anyone who had been on his team knew what he was saying without words. She knew his current look meant, 'well, why are you still standing here?' Ziva gave a big smile to be treated as usual and hurried on her way knowing that Molly was in good hands with Ducky.
Gibbs also gave a big smile that Ziva did not see. He was happy to see one of his kids back as he had been saddened by her loss. Ducky did not miss the smile on Gibbs' face, however, and commented on it.
"Do you think we can convince her to stay?" Ducky asked.
Gibbs gave a small tilt of his head, "Don't know. The choice will be hers when the time comes."
"How do you think she and Tony will get on living in the same apartment?"
Gibbs eyes filled with mirth, "Well, depending on what happens there she will either be staying or going." He laughed as he thought of his kids fondly.
"Or possibly Tony could wind up dead." Ducky added.
"Well, you'd just have to do the autopsy. Perhaps you can talk Ziva into not killing him. Too much paperwork."
The men chuckled for a moment more before being joined by Palmer and returning to the grim murder at hand.
